


#fictober18 - Twelve - “Who could do this?”

by khurst



Series: #fictober18 [12]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Episode s07e26: Endgame, F/M, Voytober18, fictober18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-30 00:44:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16275695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khurst/pseuds/khurst
Summary: #fictober18 piece to the prompt: “Who could do this?”





	#fictober18 - Twelve - “Who could do this?”

**Author's Note:**

> as usual unabashedly unbeta'd (also whipped up in like 20 minutes, so don't expect anything genius)

It was quiet in his quarters, their slow breathing the only sound above the steady hum of the engines. They didn’t need to speak. She enjoyed his company and he let her stay.

After a moment she spoke, her voice scarcely a whisper. “Do you miss her?”

In three words he broke her heart anew. “All the time.”

She followed his line of sight to the wall between their quarters. So close and yet a world apart. She knew. She was her once and she had spent many a night staring at the same wall from the other side.

“Who could do this?” His unexpected question broke her out of her reverie.

“Do what?”

“So easily turn to other people and pretend they are the person they really want?”

“You were lonely and you were tired of waiting.”

“Did you ever get tired of waiting?”

“I’m here now, aren’t I?” He nodded. Of course, she had never done things halfway. “You need to tell her.”

“And break her heart?”

“That’s not…” she shook her head, “You need to tell her that you miss her.”

Chakotay sighed. A whole lot of good it would do him.

“She misses you too.” Admiral Janeway leaned forward and grasped his arm. “But you’re a coward.”

Chakotay’s head shot up. He’d been called many things in his day but never a coward, least of all Kathryn, no matter which timeline. “I’m not a coward,” he growled.

“Are you not?” She tilted her head, her lips starting to curl into a sympathetic smile.  “You keep finding reasons not to tell her, waiting for the situation to resolve itself. But in the end…” She trailed off, getting lost in thought again to a time long ago.

“What happened?” Chakotay pressed on.

“You will break her in a way rarely anything ever has or will.”

“I don’t have that much power over her.”

“I was _her_ ,” Admiral Janeway stood up and paced, gesturing towards Kathryn’s quarters, “What you’re doing right now is more cruel than you can imagine. My Chakotay…” she paused suddenly as if stopping herself, put her hands on her hips, eyes towards the ceiling and sighed in defeat. “I was her.”


End file.
